StringGrrl sees the World

On the 16th street mall On my second trip to Denver, this time got to see more of the city center and experience some more of Denver's impressive food culture. While spending days in the convention center, we were not willing to just make due with the food on campus. So each day made an effort to head out and find something to eat. Was pleased to find this Ramen noodle bar in Downtown Denver on the 16th Street Mall. The mall is a very well executed pedestrian area with two lanes for electric "Free Mall Ride" buses, plenty of trees and planters, and thriving foot trafficked storefronts. Tantanmen: Spicy Ramen

Welcome to 71 above, the penthouse of LA is the "highest restaurant west of the Mississippi" After the second day of SIGGRAPH, NVIDIA was kind enough to invite me to dinner at 71 Above. Which was a mere stones throw away from our hotel in the Los Angeles Downtown area. It had recieved high praise from other members of the NVIDIA team who dined there earlier, so we booked our table and came out for dinner.  https://www.71above.com/ After arriving at the US Bank Tower and navigating the two separate elevator rides to arrive at the 71st floor and 71 Above, you are greeted by a sweeping dining room with panoramic views of Los Angeles. Not the view of the the restaurant we were looking forward to.... (from the film Independence Day) From our window seat, secured by luck with short reservations and no "Window Seat Deposit" which is a thing apparently  StringGirl is notably absent from these galleries as she decided to before this dinner abandon...

On a recent trip to Colorado for some VR related customer visits, StringGirl and Kam made a stop off at a neighborhood coffee roaster while waiting until a reasonable hour to head to the Airport. This brought us to Kaladi Coffee Roasters. The neighborhood had a definite bohemian (nee "Hipster") vibe going on with lots of what appeared to be 1000 sq.ft. or so bungalows, ranch homes, and other Ozzie and Harriet era construction houses sprinkled around. Evans Ave and the area around had a few little bars, coffee shops, and restaurants in this stretch leading into the university, and very limited parking other than street side where apparently 1 hour parking is strictly enforced to prevent the students from parking on residential streets all day. StringGirl makes new friends with Ian at the Roaster counter In addition to a friendly staff and accommodating locale, the coffee here is well balanced in flavor profile. All the coffee is Air Roasted which as Ian informed us ...

Crossing from the English Gardens to the Bayerisch National Museum The class was on a whirlwind tour of Germany, while StringGirl and Kam were in Germany for work. Arrangements were made to travel from Essen, where Kam had spent the work week slinging VR for ESI Software GmbH, to meet the group down in Munich. The Eisbach just downstream of the famous urban surfing spot Among the stops made during the day together in Munich was a stop by the English Gardens and a chance to cool down in the Eisbach. Pictures that we took would not do the surfers on the Eisbach justice. But there is plenty of good footage on YouTube. The Class in front of the Neurrathaus, Marienplatz Munich The Munich Altstadt is well known for the large clockwork on the Neue Rathaus (New Town Hall) several times each day the bells will ring while automation will put on a show commemorating the 1568 tournament held for the marriage of Duke William V and Renata of Lorraine in the Marienplatz. A meta p...

In a Thriving city center area, we found Noodle 1 Food Blogger Vikram Bapat enjoying his side hustle, eating fine food from around the world The challenge with finding any new location of a favorite genre of food, is deciding which dishes t try. After all, holding a new site up to your crutch dishes from a perennial favorite is a little unfair. Looking at the starters, I generally twist between whether or not a Goi-Cuon or Cha Gio, and Satay or Mon an goi lettuce wraps is the best measure of a restaurants appeal to my taste buds. Fortunately Noodle 1 offered a very straight forward choice with a special platter for 2 that let us try their complete selection of appetizers. Satay Chicken, Goi-Cuón, Cha Giò, Wan Tan, butterfly-shrimps with dips  http://www.noodle1.de/ The special platter for two  In a break from the typical Vietnamese restaurants is the lack of Pho on the menu. So that relieved us from any predisposition to only have Pho and jud...

Essen Catholic Church St. Mariä Empfängnis As with any proper European neighborhood, at least once a week is the fresh market in Essen located in front of the Church of the Immaculate Conception (Kath. Kirchengemeinde St. Mariä Empfängnis) nearby the offices of ESI Germany GMBH. Fresh fish, grilled or fried, served with potatoes and sauces as you like To put any "Nordsee" franchise to shame is the fresh fish you can buy at the local fish seller you might find in any local market. Fairly ubiquitous they are not chains or franchises, but you will find one in most if not all markets. At the office in Essen, the staff there will once a week take the walk to town to have lunch there. Thursdays in this neighborhood. Fried Backfish freshly battered and dropped in the oil to order What appeared to be either Cod or Pollack fillets was dipped in a nice pancake thickness batter and dropped in the hot oil. The fillets we just large enough that they would have swamped...

Fourteen teens set forth from Detroit North Terminal for Germany (yes, there are two kids hiding from view) StringGirl and her Maker IssaK On the Bus tour of Munich Ludwig II "Hunting Lodge" similar in scale to Versailles StringGirl snaps the picture for a change letting IssaK and Dad to have this selfie moment The Hunting Grounds at the royal hunting lodge BMW World StringGirl takes her spot at the grinders for Americas Cup Challenge Oracle Team USA Careful StringGirl if they tack while you are standing up you might go overboard StringGirl 3.0 holds the StringGirl1.0 picture from the Marienplatz The class with Frau at the Marienplatz StringGirl crossing the Eisbach